donatello second mutation fic recs
(aka the good genes collection)
fics i've read regarding donatello's second mutation arc set both before and during, plus its aftermath in the 2003 cartoon bc i am so insanely normal about it
you're welcome to add any gems you've read that's not on this list!
The Afterward by @halogalopaghost
Donnie's family have managed to get a cure for his double-mutation brought on by Bishop's outbreak virus, but he isn't out of the woods yet. The detransformation process is stalling, and now it's all the boys can do to keep Donatello alive long enough to figure out why.
Desperate Measures by SuperKat
Donatello spoke angrily under two circumstances: major setbacks to his projects or prolonged periods of intense work without rest. They were guessing the latter this time…
And Call Me in the Morning by @slipstreamborne / ffnet
It’s not like Don is doing this for fun, he reminds himself as the olive-skinned turtle makes up four fresh syringes and starts measuring out doses. He’s his doctor and his brother, he only has Mikey’s best interest at—
He blinks, eyes suddenly fixed on the band of cloth fixed tight to Don’s upper thigh. “Dude, what’s wrong with your leg?”
The Silence by @dawntreaderflynne / ffnet
Donatello's brothers and Leatherhead have cured his mutation and rescued him from Bishop. Even though Don is safe at home, he's used to having all the answers...but all he has are questions.
Within This Nightmare by @usami-chan13 / ao3
The virus has been cured, but his nightmare isn't over yet. And Donatello has a disturbing feeling that he won't make it to morning.
Dinosaurs, PTSD and Museum Visiting Hours by nightwalker3
Donnie never did get to see the dinosaur display.
The Abyss Gazes Back by T33la by @punctuated-equilibrium-t33la
The turtles wake up one misty morning 66 million years ago to find that Donatello is missing. In the chaos of mud where his footprints end, those of a monster begin.
Chain of Events by @13runningsomething
The Foot Mystics revealed how they were set free, and Donnie’s been struggling ever since, specifically with the insecurities that he’s tried so hard to ignore.
You may as well have called the first sneeze an alarm bell. The instant it echoed through the reservoir station, each and every one of them in range perked up, heads swiveling like a bunch of prairie dogs.
Raph seeks out Don first. He scans the open first-level of the reservoir station until he catches Don’s eye--a second after Mikey does. Don glances between them, his expression at first wide. Then his lips curl downward, and he huffs. “—that wasn’t me.”
[aka a leo sick-fic, set post good genes]
Hard Reset by @side-shuffling-hyperfixations
Don's immune system still has a ways to go to decompress from the stress of the double mutation. His brothers were there for him through one of his worst trials; they'll be there for him in the achy aftermath too.
Red Eyes (Staring Back at Me) by Multifandom_damnation
After the mysterious events that Donnie has no recollection of but his brothers secretly allude to being very bad and April and Casey still apparently have nightmares about, he begins to discover all the changes that afflict him, which includes but is not limited to his newly red and glowing eyes.
What Dreams May Come by Princess Tyler Briefs
Raph confronts Don as to why he didn't tell them what was going on when he was ill, and learns more about his younger brother than he ever wanted to.
Countergambit by @meercacchi
Chess has filled countless sleepless nights between the kindred pair, slowing down their racing anxiety-laden thoughts and granting them space to just talk—just the two of them, just like this.
Leo is almost scared to believe it’s true—that he’s really sitting here with his brother in the far-too-early hours of the morning, playing chess like usual, like nothing at all had happened.
Five days ago, Leo didn’t think he’d get to share these sacred moments with Donny ever again.
An Upward Spiral by Amicitia Revenant
How do you recover from a sickness you can't remember? A post-"Good Genes" fic in thirteen fragments.
Irrational by Mendeia / ffnet
one-sided LH/Don. Leatherhead muses on the events of the "Good Genes" plotline and its impact on his heart. And on the turtle to whom he has lost himself...
The Monsters Come at Night by @donnys-boy
Leo dreams of monsters at night. But unlike in horror films, his monsters are all too real.
With Donny a monster, and the prospect of getting him back slim, Mikey can't help but think about those nights when they really bonded.
sickly sweet by @watergatorr
Donnie didn’t necessarily need to be given the full round guilt trip here to let his siblings sit him down in a pile of blankets and a fresh bowl of his favourite soup with a good dinosaur documentary on the Discovery channel.
But he allows it nonetheless.
“Ten minutes,” he tells Leo, much like he’d done with Mikey. “I really do need to sort that code out.”
asyndeton by @returnofahsoka
after his secondary mutation, donnie's recovering. everyone's unsteady and on edge, home is not home, and raph... he's handling it, okay?
I Want to Wake Up by Fool_of_Gold
Donnie is still recovering from turning into a monster, and it's proving to be more complicated than anyone initially thought.
Good Genes, Bad Dreams by DeeMG
After they return home from Area 51 with Donatello, the brothers still have things to learn about each other, and about the ways that they help each other survive. Short, brotherly-fluff one-shot! 2K3-verse
Aftermath by @bluepeachstudios
The turtles return home after Donatello is cured from the infection that mutated him into a giant monster. He's confused, still a little sick, and dealing with his brothers being really fussy over him.
In the Shelter of Each Other by @hamsterandturtlesoup
Raphael and Donatello are forced to seek shelter from a sudden storm. Platonic one-shot set shortly after S4 Outbreak.
Best Medicine by @punctuated-equilibrium-t33la
Mikey and Donnie play ‘monster’. This is an extension of an opening scene from the episode immediately following "Good Genes".
is this the conversation you wanna have? by @love-killed-the-superstar
“...We don’t know anything,” Raphael finally says, voice small and resigned. “Shell, I can’t wrap my head around any of it. You tripled in size. You had glowing eyes. You were drooling and roaring and trying to eat Mikey’s freakin’ leg.”
we'll eat you up, we love you so! by @tacit-semantics
“Right,” Mikey snorts, and then gestures down towards his setup, all but beaming with pride. “So we’ll ease into it! Instead of tryin’ to like, skydive right to the meat of the, uh, bare bones-“
“Mixing metaphors. Cross-contamination,” Donnie says. He is actually factually correct, and also actually factually ignored.
“-I’ll draw you a picture! You get a little distance, Leo doesn‘t get mad at me ‘cause I let you watch the giant monster Don video, and also I get to show off a bit, which. Never hurt a guy, y’know?”
Never Been Great at First Impressions by @redstringraven
It was the first time in weeks that his brothers had let him shadow them top-side. So, naturally, this had to happen.
Turtle luck running true to form, as Raph might say.
Leo does some late night thinking a few days after Don is cured of the Outbreak Virus.
TMNTober 4th: Bones by secreterces5
Technically, Donnie and April are both in the “made into a monster against their will by a freak accident” club. And growing massive and then shrinking again afterwards has consequences.
Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Chevy Nova
Faced with the uncertainty of Donatello's future, Raphael calls upon the memory of time when he was able to protect his little brother from the monsters that lurked in the darkness. The fear of a young child haunts him, yet remains his only source of comfort against the horrors he must now face.
Chapter 4 of Great Expectations by @dawntreaderflynne / ffnet
chapter picks up right at the end of "Good Genes, Part 2"
"Have you ever heard the proverb 'man plans and God laughs?" "God must have a pretty warped sense of humor.”
Chapter 8 of Sewer Stories by @paperlifted
"Please tell me I'm wrong" by @angstsplatter
Donnie had been over the numbers. His models and predictions. And there was only one answer, staring him in the face, no matter how many times he crunched the data. It was bad, bad news. For lack of anything else to do, he ran the numbers again.
if donny's double mutation had kicked in while the gang was stuck in the cretaceous period would that be fucked up or what lol by @teetle-time
In an instant, five shapes vanished from the American Museum of Natural History.
In that same instant, four shapes appeared in an allegedly-abandoned reservoir in the nearby park.
If April hadn't already been standing up, she would have scrambled to her feet at the sight of three of the guys in caveman gear and some kind of honest-to-God sharp-toothed gargantuan dinosaur with them. "Wh-guys?!"
BONUS (set in other universes)
Metamorphose by @blackbogmire
2012
After April is plagued by nightmares, she pays visit to deliver Donatello a warning—one that is too late. Now they must race to discover a cure before time runs out.
Good Genes by by @happyfoxx-art
rottmnt
When Donatello goes missing, its up to his brothers to bring him home. Unfortunately, the Donnie they find isn't quite the way they remember him.
